Aggravation in application for German Certificate of Equivalence

Due to a high amount of new applicants and some amendments BG Verkehr has made for foreign vessels applying for a German CoE, the requirements to receive a CoE have become stricter and higher.

Especially for vessels that have just been Coded under MCA Workboat (or Brown Code) and have not been further classed by a classification society the German Authorities tightened the requirements and are

interpreting the regulations stricter than before which might even lead to major structural modifications.

Whereas formerly only certificates have to be handed in completely prior to an inspection, currently these documents are to be scrutinized and approved by BG Verkehr before an inspection date can basically be organized and is granted. This results in high lead times for on board inspections. BG Verkehr officially states partly up to 6 weeks. Furthermore, BG Verkehr reserves their right to also check construction and system drawings prior to an inspection.

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IMPORTANT NOTICE: German Certificate of Equivalence

The German Authorities (BG Verkehr) recently has changed their practice with the German Certificate of Equivalence (CoE) that leads to new situations and requirements vessel operators have to face. A CoE is not issued without a prior on board inspection by a surveyor of BG Verkehr. Inspection dates will be allocated by BG Verkehr in general within a period of 1-2 weeks time.
 

„According to § 9, § 5 and Annex 1 letter D of the SchSV, vessels with less than 500 GRT have to provide evidence of equivalency with regard to safety and environmental protection according to German law. This is documented by a Certificate of Equivalence (CoE).

Following regulation is currently in force:

1. Any vessel applying for a German Certificate of Equivalance for the first time has to provide evidence of the required certificates (for vessel and crew) and is furthermore subject to an on board inspection carried out by a surveyor of BG Verkehr.

2. The following years vessels younger than 5 years can apply for an extension of the CoE without being subject to an inspection, just by giving evidence of the annual endorsements of the certificates.

3. Vessels older than 5 years can only apply for a yearly extension of the CoE by giving evidence of the annual endorsements of the certificates and after an inspection of a surveyor of BG Verkehr. This procedure is to be followed for all subsequent years.“

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